Feedback on NatFly

[Bubbleboy]

Hi Sue...yes I agree. It needs to be organised now! As has been proven its a big event and leaving it till the last minute doesnt work. There are a number of RAA members who over the last week have put their hands up to volunteer to help organise. We need to be forming a committee now to harness these offers. After the AGM is too late. Why does it need to be a Board member that runs it? Havent they got enough on their plate with out this monumental task? A committee that reports back progress to some one on the board would be appropriate.

 

Scotty

 

 

[turboplanner]

Hi Sue...yes I agree. It needs to be organised now! As has been proven its a big event and leaving it till the last minute doesnt work. There are a number of RAA members who over the last week have put their hands up to volunteer to help organise. We need to be forming a committee now to harness these offers. After the AGM is too late. Why does it need to be a Board member that runs it? Havent they got enough on their plate with out this monumental task? A committee that reports back progress to some one on the board would be appropriate.Scotty

Good thinking Scotty, otherwise some of these ideas will be wasted due lead time

 

 

[FlyingVizsla]

Planning needs to start now. We are a widely distributed membership and I believe an RAAus website is the most appropriate place to do this kind of work, it is, after all, a RAAus event. I imagine there will also be spill over into this forum due the to large numbers of RAAus members here. The RAA seems to lag behind with Natfly. The magazine which turned up in my box yesterday a week after the event is full of "see us at Natfly, come to Natfly ..." The RAA website today is featuring "Natfly Almost Here". It should be featuring what a great time we had. The magazine should have used the space that was spruiking Natfly to promote other things and a teaser for next issue's Natfly wrap-up. All up it gives the impression we were not that interested. Or not that organised. Not what we want to project to future exhibitors, sponsors and people considering entering the realm. I am President of my town's Progress & Tourism Assoc (Chamber of commerce, town festivals & events, tourist info centre, history etc). I also do this on a purely voluntary basis. Our Christmas Mardi-Gras is already organised, just the tweaking and confirmations to happen as per schedule. Natfly is bigger and should be well under way already. So should the Northern Fly-in (Monto 2012). Assume the same Board member will be in charge of that too? I hope the Board member will respect Carol's enormous contribution and full engage her in the process. To do otherwise would be to alienate a good number of volunteers and shoot ourselves in the foot.

 

 

Sue

 

 

 

[Guest burbles1]

Hear, hear to all that Sue!

 

 

[cazza]

As mentioned in this thread - http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/natfly-2012-call-for-volunteers.27057/ we will have to wait for the Board to appoint a Board member as Natfly co-ordinator. Hopefully this will happen ASAP before we run out of enthusiasm. We will then have to go with whatever this person wants Natfly to be. I just hope they don't wait for the next 6 monthly meeting ... Sue

Hi Sue and Everyone,

 

Glad to see all the enthusiasm. A Couple of points for clarification.

 

1. THere is a Board member already who has been Natfly co-ordinator for many years, Dave Caban, and he is still Natfly Coordinator.

 

2. When Natfly moved to Temora and because I was on the Board of RA-Aus, live on the airpark and have organised the program for Natfly for 6 years, the Board kindly gave me the title of Natfly organiser in recognition of the enormous amount of work required to pull all facets together.

 

3. There are three groups that guide the planning for Natfly; the Board of RA-Aus, the Staff of RA-Aus and Temora Shire Council. EAch group has

 

a list of tasks on its agenda and believe me, planning has already started for next year. All of the feedback received by the Council and this forum will be tabled at our meeting next week. Please do not think I or anyone else do things at the last minute.

 

4. I am given a list of jobs to do and I work with the STaff and Board to see their wishes are carried out here on the ground. If the ops manager rings me and needs information, assistance, I work to achieve those results for him. I do not organise the whole event, I do my bit and help the others because I live here.

 

5. I am not sure if the Board is considering rolling Dave Caban as coordinator or if one of the members is thinking of moving here to do all the things

 

that have to be done on site, but I am thrilled to bits that other volunteers are putting their hands up to do jobs. Please don't get discouraged. Your ideas will have to go through the Board, through the Council to see if they can be accommodated. Then the people who live on the airpark and own the hangars and the property will make a decision. For example, the business people wanted to have a market on good Friday here, but since the properties are privately owned, the owners decided the liability was too great and the idea, though good, was canned by the businesses.

 

6. Traditionally I have put in the report to the Board on the Natfly preparations completed and in progress by all groups. I am happy someone else can do that. Traditionally I have written thank you letters to all volunteers that I know about (70 last year). I am happy that I can jump in my Jabiru and fly into the sunset without weeks of letter and report writing. And I am glad someone else is putting their hand up to be responsible for the organisation. Events like this can get stale without an influx of new blood. Whoever does my job will have my vocal support.

 

Cazza

 

 

[cazza]

As mentioned in this thread - http://www.recreationalflying.com/threads/natfly-2012-call-for-volunteers.27057/ we will have to wait for the Board to appoint a Board member as Natfly co-ordinator. Hopefully this will happen ASAP before we run out of enthusiasm. We will then have to go with whatever this person wants Natfly to be. I just hope they don't wait for the next 6 monthly meeting ... Sue

Hi Sue, one other thing. You comment that "we will have to go with whatever this person wants Natfly to be." is not exactly on the mark. The BOARD decides what Natfly will be. For years they resisted any kind of fly-past or showcase. One reason is the enormous paperwork required by CASA and the other was the enormous amount of money for insurance. When Temora was not an aerodrome you needed a radio to come into, the Operations manager felt it was usafe to go down the path of airshows when blokes were coming in out of the farms for a day without a radio and didn't read their magazines first to even know it was happening.

 

The Board has also constituted a Natfly Committee who makes proposals to the Board about the direction. So I amend your statement to: We will then have to go with whatever the Board of RA-Aus decides". As I said before, as organiser, I just organised jobs I was given, and jobs that needed to be done (clean hangars, clean hangar toilets, put up signs, answer the phone, find accommodation for people, answer emails,) I didn't make executive decisions like Budget, airshow or no airshow, etc. Organiser was an honorary title. So the Committee takes it to the Board, and then back down the chain of command.

 

Hope you didn't mind the lesson in our governance.

 

Cheers, Cazza

 

 

[Guest Steven Runciman]

Planning needs to start now. We are a widely distributed membership and I believe an RAAus website is the most appropriate place to do this kind of work, it is, after all, a RAAus event. I imagine there will also be spill over into this forum due the to large numbers of RAAus members here. The RAA seems to lag behind with Natfly. The magazine which turned up in my box yesterday a week after the event is full of "see us at Natfly, come to Natfly ..." The RAA website today is featuring "Natfly Almost Here". It should be featuring what a great time we had. The magazine should have used the space that was spruiking Natfly to promote other things and a teaser for next issue's Natfly wrap-up. All up it gives the impression we were not that interested. Or not that organised. Not what we want to project to future exhibitors, sponsors and people considering entering the realm. I am President of my town's Progress & Tourism Assoc (Chamber of commerce, town festivals & events, tourist info centre, history etc). I also do this on a purely voluntary basis. Our Christmas Mardi-Gras is already organised, just the tweaking and confirmations to happen as per schedule. Natfly is bigger and should be well under way already. So should the Northern Fly-in (Monto 2012). Assume the same Board member will be in charge of that too? I hope the Board member will respect Carol's enormous contribution and full engage her in the process. To do otherwise would be to alienate a good number of volunteers and shoot ourselves in the foot.Sue

Sue,

 

Planning will start in the very near future and I am sure whoever gets the job of lead planner will take into consideration everything that has been put on sites like this. We are working towards a dedicated website. I totally agree with you reference the magazine which is why the board has changed publisher. The new publisher is well aware if the main problem being the delivery time and he will, no doubt, take steps to correct this but he will need some time for this. Another example is that the Dec/Jan edition, which was full of seasons greetings arrived on my doorstep on 4 Jan 11 - very embarrassing. The website also needs attention and we have taken steps to correct this. The main RA-Aus website manager left us recently which left us with a bit of a problem but, again, we are working to correct this. I can assure you that the board, as with all the members, are very interested. The Northern Fly-in will be organised by the same people that did it last year. Whoever takes over as lead planner for NATFLY, I am sure will consult Carol and ask for her assistance as the last thing we will want to do is alienate any members.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

 

[jakej]

Cazza

 

I can do a couple of forums on Autopilots, Avionics & Wiring if you like, I'll call you.

 

Jake J

 

 

[bushpilot]

Hi Carol...I have been vocal here with ways I think we could improve on the great event we already have. Im a great believer in looking forward and planning for the future. Getting kids "bitten by the bug"so to speak is a priority RAA needs to look at. These kids will be the future of our organisation. In saying this I would like to volunteer to help organise the childrens program. I spent 15 minutes on the web and emailed a business and have a response back stating they would be prepared to travel to Temora on the Friday and Saturday next year to set up a jumping castle. I am awaiting their quote. They have also given me the details of another business who has mobile kids entertainment and also has face painting and tattoos. I found a business who sells balsa throw gliders that can be printed with what ever advertising you like. I was thinking "RAA & Natfly" advertising and holding a short balsa glider building session followed by a "see whos fly's the furtherest" competition with a prize at the end. I cant elaborate on the prize as I havent approached the business involved to see if they would be supportive as yet. I would plan on having two full days of kids entertainment.I can organise all this and would just need a section at the airport to run a kids entertainment place. The grass patch in front of the cabins would be ideal. This year it was mostly empty except for a few campers cars. Its central to the camping area, away from majority of traffic, off the active area for planes. I also have a few more ideas but im putting my offer on the table! I will need a little support from someone local to arrange a little marquee or the like for some shade.

 

Let me know if you accept my offer

 

Scotty

We applaud this idea..